A soldier was arrested late Saturday night on suspicion of trying to smuggle two Palestinians who paid him to help them cross over the Rantis crossing into Israeli territory.
The soldier, who was a part of the Netzah Yehuda battalion in the Kfir Infantry Brigade, had recently finished his service and is currently part of a project that trains those coming from ultra-Orthodox backgrounds professionally, to prepare them for leaving the army and reentering civilian life.
According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the soldier had two Palestinians in his car and tried to cross the Rantis crossing. He was then arrested and taken for further investigation by the Israel Police.
Netzah Yehuda making headlines
The battalion has been involved in several controversies regarding violence against Palestinian detainees in recent years.
In January, an 80-year-old Palestinian man was found dead of a heart attack after Netzah Yehuda soldiers had detained him in Jaljulyah, a village just north of Ramallah. The soldiers said that they had arrested him because he resisted a security check and they released him alive. But photos from the scene showed the elderly man on the floor with his hands handcuffed in zip ties and there was suspicion of abuse.
In October, Military Police arrested four troops from Netzah Yehuda on suspicion that they beat and sexually assaulted a Palestinian in the back of a military vehicle after he was arrested. When they arrived at the troops' base, one of the soldiers placed the barrel of his gun on the man's backside.
In August, four haredi combat soldiers were suspended after they were filmed beating two Palestinians just west of Ramallah. In the video, the soldiers can be seen pushing the Palestinians to the ground and kicking them repeatedly.
The incident was filmed by Palestinians who then posted it on TikTok.
Ariella Marsden, Anna Ahronheim, Yonah Jeremy Bob and Khaled Abu Toameh contributed to this report.